Each Dawn I Die

As much a prison drama as a proto-noir, William Keighley’s Each Dawn I Die is a tale of friendship and loyalty between prison inmates, two in particular played by Warner Brothers stalwarts James Cagney and George Raft. While the story isn’t particularly original, the film boasts standard Warner Brothers luster (it was the studio’s most successful film of 1939) and an unusually compelling Raft, who earned a studio contract as a result, his subtle yet wild-eyed performance even outshining Cagney in many ways. A little too close to fingering corrupt district attorney and soon-to-be-governor Jesse Hanley (Thurston Hall), journalist Frank Ross (Cagney) is framed by the DA’s thugs for a drunk-driving multiple manslaughter charge and sent up the river, where he meets gangster “Hood” Stacey (Raft) and develops a trusting friendship. Soon, they hatch an escape plot through which Ross will implicate Stacey for the murder of another inmate so he can be tried at the county courthouse where his gang is prepared to break him out, one way or the other. Keighley creates solid dramatic tension throughout, like when Ross’ mother pays a visit (admire Cagney’s emotional transformation as the camera follows him back to his cell) or the final showdown between the guards and the inmates when camaraderie is tested by incoming grenades. Visually, Keighley and cinematographer Edeson haven’t found the noir aesthetic yet but use the camera in plenty of inventive ways.